RFID part authentication and tracking of processing components

ABSTRACT

Embodiments provided herein provide for methods and apparatus for detecting, authenticating, and tracking processing components including consumable components or non-consumable components used on substrate processing systems for electronic device manufacturing, such as semiconductor chip manufacturing. The semiconductor processing systems and/or its processing components herein include a remote communication device, such as a wireless communication apparatus, for example radio frequency identification (RFID) devices or other devices embedded in, disposed in, disposed on, located on, or otherwise coupled to one or more processing components or processing component assemblies and/or integrated within the semiconductor processing system itself. The processing component may include a single component (part) or an assembly of components (parts) that are used within the semiconductor processing tool.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Field

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/429,726, filed on Dec. 2, 2016, and to U.S. ProvisionalApplication 62/476,626, filed on Mar. 24, 2017, both of which are hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus andmethods of authenticating, tracking, and using processing components,such as consumable components, in a substrate processing system.Embodiments described herein further relate to systems and techniquesfor collecting data in and/or from a substrate processing system, andthe processing components therein, used in an electronic devicefabrication process.

Description of the Related Art

Semiconductor chip manufacturing requires multiple types of substrateprocessing systems. Typically, substrate processing systems require anumber of processing components, such as consumable components(components that wear or are used up with use and therefore requireregular replacement and/or replenishment) and non-consumable components(typically processing components/parts that are not used up or depletedwith use) for the operation thereof. Often, the processing componentwill have a set of particular characteristics, knowledge of which isimportant for optimal usage thereof in the substrate processing system.

One example of a processing system herein is a chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP) system. CMP is commonly used in the manufacture ofhigh-density integrated circuits to planarize or polish a layer ofmaterial deposited on a substrate, by contacting the material layer tobe planarized with a polishing pad mounted on a polishing platen, andmoving the polishing pad and/or the substrate (and thus the materiallayer surface on the substrate) in the presence of a polishing fluid andabrasive particles. CMP systems require a number of consumablecomponents, such as polishing pads, substrate carrier assemblies and theindividual components thereof, diamond conditioning disks, and othercomponents that wear with use and require regular replacement and/orreplenishment. The use of authenticated consumable components, forexample, consumable components from a qualified supplier and/orauthorized supplier, in the polishing process is critical as usage ofunauthenticated consumable components, for example, counterfeitcomponents, consumable components from an unqualified supplier and/orunauthorized supplier or a consumable component that is incompatiblewith a specific process, can lead to unsafe processing conditions and/orunreliable polishing results. In addition, individual consumablecomponents used on and/or with the CMP system often have particularcharacteristics for which the CMP system may need to be configured inorder to optimally and/or safely use the consumable component and/or acorresponding CMP system part related thereto.

Polishing pads, substrate carrier assemblies and the individualcomponents thereof, and other conventional CMP system processingcomponents often lack devices and/or methods to enable functions such asdetecting failures, authenticating genuine and/or authorized components,tracking useful data relating to the system or component parts, sensingprocess conditions or useful data, and monitoring aspects of the CMPprocess or other useful process information.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for devices and methods thatprovide processing component authentication and/or tracking to assureprocess repeatability and reliability and thereby improve device yieldand ensure safe operation of the processing system. There is also a needfor systems, consumable parts and other apparatus that can detect andauthenticate a tool supplier's equipment processing components/parts toassure part quality and system reliability. There is a need forelectronic device manufacturing substrate processing systems andprocessing components, including consumable components that provideimproved polishing performance and desirable process sensingcapabilities. In addition, there is a need for methods of manufacturingsuch devices.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to substrate processingsystems used in an electronic device fabrication process. Morespecifically, embodiments described herein relate to remote tracking andauthentication of processing components used in, on, or with substrateprocessing systems used in an electronic device fabrication process.such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, chemical vapordeposition (CVD) chambers, physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers, ionimplantation chambers, etch processing systems and/or chambers,photolithography processing systems, substrate thinning system (e.g.backgrind), processing systems related thereto, and other processingsystems used in the manufacturing of electronic devices, such assemiconductor devices.

In one embodiment a method of processing a substrate using a processingcomponent disposed within a substrate processing system is provided. Themethod comprises receiving, using an interrogator, one or more signalsfrom a remote communication device coupled to a processing componentdisposed in the substrate processing system. Herein, the one or moresignal comprises information relating to the processing component. Themethod further comprises, comparing, using a controller, the identifierinformation to processing component identifiers stored in a database toauthenticate the processing component and performing, using thecontroller, one or more substrate processing operations, based on theauthentication of the processing component.

In another embodiment a method of processing a substrate using aprocessing component disposed within a substrate processing systemcomprises delivering one or more signals to a remote communicationdevice that comprises an RFID tag. Herein, the remote communicationdevice is disposed on a processing component within the substrateprocessing system. The method further comprises storing informationreceived in the one or more signals within a memory of the remotecommunication device before removing the processing component from thesubstrate processing system and receiving at least a portion of thestored information from the remote communication device after theprocessing component has been reinstalled within the substrateprocessing system.

In another embodiment method of processing a substrate using aprocessing component disposed within a substrate processing systemcomprises receiving, via an interrogator, one or more signals from anRFID tag, wherein the one or more signals include information relatingto one or more processing parameters detected by a sensor coupled to theprocessing component and analyzing the one or more signals using acontroller adapted to control a process performed within the substrateprocessing system, wherein the controller initiates a change in thepolishing process in response to the received one or more signals.

In one embodiment, the substrate processing system includes a carouselsupport plate having a slot surrounding a carrier drive shaft coupled toa substrate carrier assembly. The substrate carrier assembly includes anRFID tag disposed therein to communicate with an interrogator circlingaround the carousel support plate's slot. The interrogator and the RFIDtag are configured to communicate with one another using a wirelesscommunication technique.

In another embodiment, the substrate processing system comprises aprocessing chamber including a target having an RFID tag disposed withinor thereon and an interrogator embedded within a dielectric supportdisposed in an interior volume of the processing chamber. Theinterrogator and the RFID tag are configured to communicate with oneanother using a wireless communication technique.

In another embodiment, the substrate processing system comprises aprocessing chamber including a magnetron having a magnet, with an RFIDtag embedded therein and an interrogator embedded within a yoke or aprocess piece. The interrogator and the RFID tag are configured tocommunicate with one another using a wireless communication technique.

Certain embodiments provide a method of processing a substrate using aprocessing component disposed within a substrate processing system. Themethod includes receiving, using an interrogator, one or more signalsfrom an RFID tag coupled to a processing component during processing,wherein the one or more signal comprises information relating to theprocessing component, authenticating, using the controller, theprocessing component based on the one or more signals, and performing,using the controller, one or more substrate processing operations basedon the one or more signals.

Certain embodiments provide a method of processing a substrate using aprocessing component disposed within a substrate processing system. Themethod includes delivering one or more signals to a remote communicationdevice that comprises an RFID tag, wherein the remote communicationdevice is disposed on a processing component within the substrateprocessing system, storing information received in the one or moresignals within a memory of the remote communication device beforeremoving the processing component from the substrate processing system,and receiving at least a portion of the stored information from theremote communication device after the processing component has beenreinstalled within the substrate processing system.

Certain embodiments provide a method of processing a substrate using aprocessing component disposed within a substrate processing system. Themethod includes receiving, via an interrogator, one or more signals fromthe RFID tag, wherein the one or more signals include informationrelating to one or more processing parameters detected by a sensorcoupled to the processing component and analyzing the one or moresignals using a controller adapted to control a process performed withinthe substrate processing system, wherein the controller initiates achange in the polishing process in response to the received the one ormore signals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlyexemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting ofits scope, may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1A is an exploded schematic perspective view of an examplesubstrate processing system, herein a substrate polishing system,adapted to benefit from the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the polishing systemof FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view of the carousel support plate of FIG.1B which illustrates interrogators positioned around the radial slotsthereof, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a close up view of a portion of the carousel support plate 66illustrated in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial and schematic view of the wirelesscommunication apparatus, interrogator, and controller of FIG. 1B,according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a logical view of the software application hierarchyof FIG. 1B, according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another example substrateprocessing system, herein a physical vapor deposition (PVD) processingchamber, adapted to benefit from the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates example operations for use by a substrate processingsystem, such as the example substrate processing systems illustrated inFIG. 1A and FIG. 5, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates example operations for use by a substrate processingsystem, such as the example substrate processing systems illustrated inFIG. 1A and FIG. 5, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates example operations for use by a substrate processingsystem, such as the example substrate processing systems illustrated inFIG. 1A and FIG. 5, in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to substrate processingsystems used in an electronic device fabrication process. Morespecifically, embodiments described herein relate to remote tracking andauthentication of processing components used in, on, or with substrateprocessing systems used in an electronic device fabrication process,such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, chemical vapordeposition systems (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD) systems, ionimplantation systems, etch processing systems, photolithographyprocessing systems, and other processing systems used in themanufacturing of electronic devices.

The example substrate processing systems described herein includechemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems and physical vapordeposition (PVD) systems, however, the embodiments described herein maybe used with any substrate processing system that would benefit fromremote tracking and authentication of processing components usedtherein, such as chemical vapor deposition systems (CVD), physical vapordeposition (PVD) systems, ion implantation systems, etch processingsystems, photolithography processing systems, and substrate thinningsystems (e.g. backgrind). The example substrate processing systemsherein include processing components used in, with, or on the substrateprocessing system, including non-consumable components and consumablecomponents, having one or more remote communication devices, such aswireless communication devices, including radio frequency identification(RFID) devices and/or other suitable wireless communication devices,disposed on, disposed within, embedded within, located on, or otherwisecoupled thereto to enable the authentication and tracking thereof.

Processing components herein include single non-consumable components,single consumable components, and assemblies of non-consumablecomponents and/or consumable components that are used in, on, and/orwith the substrate processing system. Methods herein include receiving,using an interrogator, one or more signals from a remote communicationdevice, such as an RFID tag, disposed on, disposed within, embeddedwithin, located on, or otherwise coupled to a processing component ofthe semiconductor processing system before, during, and/or aftersubstrate processing. The one or more signals include informationrelating to the processing component. Methods herein further includeauthenticating, using the controller, the processing component based onthe one or more signals, and performing, using the controller, one ormore substrate processing operations based on the one or more signals.In some other embodiments, methods include delivering one or moresignals to a remote communication device that comprises an RFID tag,wherein the remote communication device is disposed on, disposed within,embedded within, located on, or otherwise coupled to a processingcomponent within the substrate processing system, storing informationreceived in the one or more signals within a memory of the remotecommunication device before removing the processing component from thesubstrate processing system, and receiving at least a portion of thestored information from the remote communication device after theprocessing component has been reinstalled within the substrateprocessing system. In yet some other embodiments, methods includereceiving, via an interrogator, one or more signals from the RFID tag,wherein the one or more signals include information relating to one ormore processing conditions detected by a sensor coupled to theprocessing component and analyzing the one or more signals using acontroller adapted to control a process performed within the substrateprocessing system, wherein the controller initiates a change in thepolishing process in response to the received the one or more signals.

FIG. 1A is an exploded schematic perspective view of an examplepolishing system, according to one embodiment. FIG. 1B is across-sectional view of a portion of the polishing system 20 of FIG. 1A.The polishing system 20 includes a machine base 22 with a table top 23mounted thereon and a removable upper outer cover (not shown). The tabletop 23 supports a plurality of polishing stations 25 a, 25 b and 25 c,and a transfer station 27 for loading and unloading each of theplurality of substrates 10 to and from each of the plurality ofsubstrate carrier assemblies 108. Herein, the transfer station 27 formsa generally square arrangement with the plurality of polishing stations25 a, 25 b and 25 c.

Each of the polishing stations 25 a-c herein includes a polishing platen30 having a polishing pad 32 mounted thereon and/or secured theretousing an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive. Each of thepolishing platens 30 herein are operably coupled to a respective platendrive motor (not shown) disposed in the machine base 22 which rotatesthe polishing platen 30 about an axis disposed therethrough, such as theplaten axis 30 a shown in FIG. 1B. Herein, each of the polishingstations 25 a-c further include a pad conditioning assembly 40comprising a pad conditioner, such as an abrasive disk or a brush, usedto maintain a desired surface texture of the polishing pad 32, and/orclean polishing byproducts therefrom, and thereby provide consistentpolishing results across the lifetime thereof of the polishing pad 32.Herein, each of the plurality of polishing platens 30 and the polishingpads 32 disposed thereon have a surface area that is greater than the tobe polished surface area of the substrate 10, however, in some polishingsystems, the polishing platens 30 and/or the polishing pad 32 disposedthereon have a surface area that is less than the to be polished surfacearea of the substrate 10.

During polishing, a polishing fluid 50 is introduced to the polishingpad 32 through a fluid dispenser 52 position over the polishing platen30. Typically, the polishing fluid 50 is a polishing slurry comprisingabrasive particles, a cleaning fluid, water, or a combination thereof.In some embodiments, the polishing fluid 50 comprises a pH adjusterand/or chemically active components, such as an oxidizing agent, toenable chemical mechanical polishing of the material surface of thesubstrate 10 in conjunction with abrasives particles suspended in thepolishing fluid 50 and/or embedded in the polishing pad 32. In someembodiments the fluid dispenser 52 includes one or more spray nozzles(not shown) which provide a high pressure rinse of polishing pad 32 atthe end of each substrate polishing and/or pad conditioning cycle.

The polishing system 20 further includes a carousel 60 positioned abovethe machine base 22. The carousel 60 includes a carousel support plate66 and a cover 68. Herein, the carousel support plate 66 is supported bya center post 62 and moved about a carousel axis 64 thereof by acarousel motor assembly (not shown) disposed in the machine base 22. Thecarousel 60 includes a plurality of substrate carrier systems 70 a, 70b, 70 c, and 70 d mounted on the carousel support plate 66 at equalangular intervals about the carousel axis 64. During operation of thepolishing system 20 a substrate 10 is loaded to and/or unloaded from theone of the substrate carrier systems, such as substrate carrier system70 d, while the remaining plurality of substrate carriers systems, suchas 70 a-c, are used to polish a respective plurality of substrates 10.The carousel moves the substrate carrier systems 70 a-d, and thesubstrates disposed therein, between desired polishing stations 25 a-cand/or the transfer station 27 by moving the substrate carriers systems70 a-70 d coupled thereto about the carousel axis 64.

Each of the substrate carrier systems 70 a-d herein includes a substratecarrier assembly 108, a carrier drive shaft 74 coupled to the substratecarrier assembly 108 and extending through a radial slot 72 formed inthe carousel support plate 66, and a substrate carrier assembly rotationmotor 76 operably coupled to the carrier drive shaft 74. Each of thesubstrate carrier assemblies 108 independently rotate about a carrieraxis 114 disposed through a respective carrier drive shaft 74. Herein,each substrate carrier assembly rotation motor 76 and the carrier driveshaft 74 operably coupled thereto is supported on a slider (not shown)which is linearly driven along the radial slot 72 by a radial drivemotor (not shown) to laterally oscillate the respective substratecarrier assembly 108.

Herein, the substrate carrier assembly 108 includes a carrier housing108C, a substrate retaining ring 108A coupled to the carrier housing108C that surrounds a substrate 10, and a flexible diaphragm 108B, suchas a flexible membrane, disposed between the carrier housing 108C and asubstrate 10 disposed in the substrate carrier assembly 108. Duringpolishing, each of the substrate carrier assemblies 108 positioned at arespective polishing station 25 a-c lower a substrate 10 into contactwith a respective polishing pad 32. A downforce on the substrateretaining ring 108A urges the substrate retaining ring 108A against therespective polishing pad 32 thereby preventing the substrate 10 fromslipping from the substrate carrier assembly 108. The substrate carrierassembly 108 rotates about a respective carrier axis 114 while theflexible diaphragm 108B urges the to be polished surface of thesubstrate 10 against the polishing surface of the polishing pad 32. Inembodiments herein, the flexible diaphragm 108B is configured to imposedifferent pressures against different regions of a substrate 10 whileurging the to be polished surface of the substrate 10 against thepolishing surface of the polishing pad 32. Typically, each of thepolishing platens 30 rotates about a respective platen axis 30 a in anopposite rotational direction from the rotational direction of thesubstrate carrier assembly 108 while the substrate carrier assembly 108oscillates from an inner diameter of the polishing platen 30 to an outerdiameter of the polishing platen 30 to, in part, reduce uneven wear ofthe polishing pad 32. Typically, the substrate 10 is polished using apredetermined set of polishing process parameters, herein polishingprocess variables, selected for the type of substrate 10 to be polishedwhich together comprise a polishing process recipe. As used herein,process parameters, including process variables, are set points used tocontrol the polishing process while processing conditions are measuredvalues received from the polishing system 20, sensors therein, and/orcomponents thereof, Examples of polishing process variables hereininclude, but are not limited to, rotation speed of the polishing platen30, rotation speed of the substrate carrier assembly 108, flowrate ofthe polishing fluid 50, temperature of the polishing platen 30,downforce on the substrate retaining ring 108A, downforce on thesubstrate 10 which includes pressure(s) exerted on the substrate 10and/or on regions thereof by the flexible diaphragm 108B, sweep speed ofthe substrate carrier assembly 108, sweep speed of the pad conditioningassembly 40, downforce on the pad conditioner (the force exerted on thepolishing pad by the pad conditioner), rotation speed of the padconditioner, number of conditioning cycles (sweeps) or duration ofconditioning (sec.), and sometimes polishing time. Often, specific typesof processing components are required for use with some polishingprocess recipes and are prohibited for use with others as some types orprocessing components are incompatible with some substrate polishingprocesses and are therefore unauthorized for use therewith. In otherembodiments, some processing components, or assemblies thereof, areprohibited for use with some substrate polishing processes based on theusage history. For example, a substrate carrier assembly 108 and/or theindividual components thereof, that has been used in a metal polishingprocess, such as a copper polishing process, might be unauthorized foruse with a shallow trench isolation process (STI) as contaminates fromthe copper polishing process will cause failures in the electronicdevices on the substrate if introduced to the substrate during the STIpolishing process.

The polishing pads 32, substrate carrier assemblies 108 and theprocessing components thereof, and other processing componentsmanufactured by conventional techniques often lack devices and/ormethods to enable functions such as the detecting, authenticating,tracking, sensing, and monitoring thereof by the polishing system 20and/or other automated control systems external thereto. Accordingly,certain embodiments described herein provide one or more apparatus andmethods for data communication between the polishing system 20, and/orcontrol systems external thereto, and one or more of its processingcomponents, which enable the functions described herein.

Information Collection System Configuration Examples

As shown in FIG. 1B, a substrate carrier assembly 108 is coupled to acarrier drive shaft 74, which extends through radial slot 72 to couplethe substrate carrier assembly 108 to the substrate carrier assemblyrotation motor 76. The substrate carrier assembly 108 rotates about thecarrier axis 114 and oscillates in a sweeping motion to provide arelative motion between the material surface of the substrate 10 and thepolishing pad 32. As described above, the substrate carrier assembly 108includes a number of processing components including a carrier housing108C coupled directly or indirectly to the carrier drive shaft 74, asubstrate retaining ring 108A, and a flexible diaphragm 108B. Typically,one or more of the processing components of the substrate carrierassembly 108 is a consumable component that becomes worn with use andrequires regular replacement in order to provide a consistent anddesirable polishing performance.

Herein, FIG. 1B further illlustrates a plurality of remote communicationdevices 600, such as an RFID device, and a plurality of interrogators601, disposed on, disposed within, embedded within, located on, orotherwise coupled to a plurality of processing components of thepolishing system 20. In one embodiment, the plurality of remotecommunication devices 600 are disposed in and/or on the polishing pads32 and disposed on, disposed within, embedded within, located on, orotherwise coupled to the substrate carrier assemblies 108 including thenon-consumable and consumable components thereof, such as the carrierhousings 108C, the substrate retaining rings 108A, and the flexiblediaphragms 108B. Herein, the plurality of interrogators 601 are disposedon, disposed within, embedded within, located on, or otherwise coupledto various processing components of the polishing system 20, includingon the carousel support plates 66, the substrate carrier system 70supporting structures, and the plurality of polishing platens 30.

Herein, each of the plurality of remote communication devices 600, suchas RFID devices, are configured to wirelessly communicate with one ormore of the plurality of interrogators 601. Examples of wirelesscommunication protocols include near field communication techniques,Bluetooth®, optical signal transmission techniques, acoustic signaltransmission techniques, radio frequency communication techniques, andother suitable wireless communication techniques. In other embodiments,communication devices (not shown) are hardwired to the interrogator 601to facilitate communication therebetween. Like the remote communicationdevices 600, the interrogators 601 are positioned within and/or onvarious areas or parts of polishing system 20. In some embodiments, theinterrogator's 601 locations are independent of the respective remotecommunication devices 600's locations, in other embodiments the locationof each of the interrogators 601 are determined, at least in part, bythe location of the respective remote communication device 600 tofacilitate communication therebetween.

As described above, one or more of the plurality of remote communicationdevices 600 are disposed on, disposed within, embedded within, locatedon, or otherwise coupled to one or more processing components, whichherein include at least one or more of the processing components used bythe polishing system 20 described above, such as the substrate carrierassemblies 108, the consumable components thereof, and the polishingpads 32. In one embodiment, one or more remote communication devices 600are disposed within, embedded within, and/or or otherwise coupled to apolishing pad 32 while one or more interrogators 601 are disposed withinor otherwise coupled to a respective polishing platen 30 having thepolishing pad 32 disposed thereon. Herein, the remote communicationdevices 600 coupled to the polishing pad 32 and their respectiveinterrogators 601 embedded in the polishing platen 30 are configured tocommunicate via a communication link 607. In some embodiments, thecommunication link 607 is a wireless communication protocol. In anotherembodiment, the communication link 607 is a wired connection. Typically,each of the interrogators 601 are communicatively coupled to acontroller 612 of the polishing system 20, which receives signal inputfrom the remote communication devices 600 via the respectiveinterrogators 601 through communication links 609. The input receivedfrom remote communication devices 600, through the interrogators 601,are processed and utilized by the controller 612 using one or more ofsoftware applications, such as the middleware application 651, thesoftware application, and/or the fab-level software application 653. Inother embodiments, an external controller (not shown) receives andprocesses input from the interrogators 601.

FIG. 1B further illustrates a logical view of a software applicationhierarchy, which herein includes a middleware application 651, anequipment software application 652, and a fab-level software application653. In some embodiments, after receiving signal input from one or moreinterrogators 601, the controller 612 uses a middleware application 651to process the input and derive data that the middleware application 651sends to the equipment software application 652 through a communicationlink 657. The communication link 657 herein comprises a wired connection(e.g. Ethernet) and/or a wireless communication protocol. In someembodiments, the equipment software application 652 further sends thedata received from the middleware application 651 to the fab-levelsoftware application 653 through a communication link 658. Herein, thecommunication link 658 is a wired connection. In other embodiments, thecommunication link 658 is a wireless communication protocol.

In some embodiments, information is sent in the opposite direction sothat information from the controller 612 is received and stored in oneor more of the remote communication devices 600. For example, in oneembodiment described in FIG. 4, each one of the fab-level softwareapplication 653, the equipment software application 652, and themiddleware application 651, are configured to send information to bestored in one or more of the remote communication devices 600.Accordingly, in some embodiments, communication between remotecommunication devices 600, interrogator 601, and controller 612 as wellas all the different levels of software application hierarchy (e.g. 651,652, and 653) comprise a two-way communication.

In some embodiments, the remote communication devices 600 are disposedon, disposed within, embedded within, located on, or otherwise coupledto the substrate carrier assembly 108 and/or the processing componentsthereof. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, one or more remotecommunication devices 600 are located on a surface of the substratecarrier assembly 108 distal from the to be polished surface of asubstrate 10 disposed therein. In another embodiment, one or more remotecommunication devices 600 (not shown) are embedded within the carrierhousing 108C of the substrate carrier assembly 108 where the carrierhousing 108C is securable to the carrier drive shaft 74 and from whichthe carrier housing 108C is movably suspended. To communicate with aremote communication device 600 disposed in, on, or otherwise coupled toa substrate carrier assembly 108, an interrogator 601 (shown in FIGS.2A-B) is disposed within or located on one or more parts of the carouselsupport plate 66. For example, in some embodiments, an interrogator 601is proximate to the radial slot 72 formed in carousel support plate 66,as further described below in relation to FIGS. 2A-B.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the remote communication devices 600 disposed onthe carrier housing 108C of the substrate carrier assembly 108 and therespective interrogator 601 in communication therewith are configured tocommunicate via a communication link 655. In some embodiments, thecommunication link 655 comprises a wireless communication protocol. Inother embodiments, the communication link 655 comprises a wiredconnection. It is generally desirable to use a wireless communicationtechnique (e.g., NFC, RF, Bluetooth, etc.) in configurations where aremote communication device 600 is disposed on a processing componentthat moves relative to another processing component and/or portion ofthe polishing system 20 that has a corresponding interrogator 601disposed thereon. The interrogator 601 is further communicativelycoupled to a controller 612, which receives input from the remotecommunication devices 600 via the interrogator 601. Herein, thecommunication link 656 between the interrogator 601 and the controller612 comprises a wired connection, a wireless communication protocol, ora combination thereof.

After receiving the input from a remote communication device 600 coupledto the substrate carrier assembly 108, an interrogator 601 transmits theinput to the controller 612, which, in one embodiment, processes theinput using the middleware application 651, as described further inrelation to FIG. 4. As shown, the transmission of the input from aninterrogator 601 to the middleware application 651 is performed throughthe communication link 656. In some embodiments, the input, received bythe middleware application 651, is then translated and sent to theequipment software application 652 through the communication link 657.Herein, the communication link 657 is a wired connection or a wirelesscommunication protocol. Further, in some embodiments, after receivingthe information from the middleware application 651, the equipmentsoftware application 652 is configured to send the information to afab-level software application 653. In other embodiments, theinformation from the interrogator 601 is communicated directly to thefab-level software application through a wired or wireless communicationlink (not shown). In embodiments herein, communication between theremote communication devices 600, the interrogators 601, and thecontroller 612 as well as all the different levels of softwareapplications (e.g. 651, 652, and 653) comprises a two-way communicationpath, meaning that information is both sent and received by thefab-level software 658, the controller 612, the equipment softwareapplication 652, and/or the middleware application 651 to and from theremote communication devices 600 via the interrogators 601 and throughthe communication links 607, 609, 655, 656, 657, and/or 658. In otherembodiments, communication between the remote communication devices 600,the interrogators 601, and the controller 612 as well as all thedifferent levels of software applications (e.g. 651, 652, and 653)comprises a one-way communication path, meaning that information isreceived by the fab-level software 658, the controller 612, theequipment software application 652, and/or the middleware application651 from the remote communication devices 600 via the interrogators 601and through the communication links 607, 609, 655, 656, 657, and/or 658but is not sent to the remote communication devices 600

FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view of a carousel support plate, such asthe carousel support plate 66 of the polishing system 20 described inFIGS. 1A-B, according to one embodiment. FIG. 2B is a close up view of aportion of the carousel support plate 66 described in FIG. 2A. Tofacilitate communication with a remote communication device 600 coupledto a substrate carrier assembly 108 and/or the components thereof, aninterrogator 601 is typically disposed within or located on one or moreparts of carousel support plate 66. Herein, the carousel support plate66 includes four radial slots 72 formed therein that allow each of thesubstrate carrier assemblies 108 to independently rotate and oscillaterelative thereto. Each of the interrogators 601 disposed on the carouselsupport plate 66 are positioned proximate to, and about one of, theradial slots 72 formed in carousel support plate 66. This enables eachinterrogator 601, positioned around each radial slot 72, to be in closeproximity with a corresponding remote communication device 600 coupledto a substrate carrier assembly 108. Accordingly, the respective remotecommunication devices 600 and interrogators 601 may communicatewirelessly, as further described in relation to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial and schematic view of an exemplary remotecommunication device 600, interrogator 601, and controller 612, incommunication therebetween, according to embodiments described herein.The remote communication device 600 shown in FIG. 3 is a wirelesscommunication RFID device. As described above, in some embodiments, oneor more remote communication devices 600 are disposed within thepolishing pads 32 while one or more corresponding interrogators 601 aredisposed within each of the respective polishing platens 30. In someembodiments, one or more remote communication devices 600 are locatedon, embedded within, or otherwise coupled to the substrate carrierassemblies 108, and/or the processing components thereof, while one ormore corresponding interrogators 601 are positioned around each radialslot 72 formed in the carousel support plate 66.

While a single remote communication device 600 and a single interrogator601 are illustrated in FIG. 3, it is contemplated that the polishingsystem 20 and the processing components used therewith will comprise aplurality of remote communication devices 600 and correspondinginterrogators 601, such as those disposed within, embedded within,located on, or otherwise coupled to the plurality of polishing pads 32and their respective polishing platens 30 and the plurality of substratecarrier assemblies 108 and the respective radial slots 72 formed in thecarousel support plate 66. In some embodiments, more than one remotecommunication device 600 may be sensed by a single correspondinginterrogator 601.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the plurality of interrogators 601 includesa reader 608 and an antenna 610. Typically, the reader 608 includesand/or is coupled to a power source, such as an RF power source, and isconfigured to transmit, via the antenna 610, a signal to be received bythe remote communication device 600. In some embodiments, the antenna610 comprises coaxial cables positioned around each radial slot 72formed in carousel support plate 66 as shown in FIG. 3. In suchembodiments, positioning the cables around the radial slots in acircumferential manner enables propagating an RF energy to a tag 602,such as an RFID tag, of the remote communication devices 600 fromdifferent angles, thereby increasing the likelihood that the transmittedRF energy is received by the tag 602. Herein, each of antennas 610terminates at each of the end covers of the CMP head support structure.At the other end, the coaxial cable of antenna 610 includes a printedcircuit board 610A that contains one or more electrical componentsconfigured to facilitate the communication between the antenna 610 andthe remote communication device 600.

In addition, the carousel support plate 66, shown in FIG. 2A, supportsthe plurality of substrate carrier systems 70 a-d that independentlyrotate and oscillate in the plurality of radial slots 72. Accordingly,in some embodiments, an equivalent number of remote communicationdevices 600 on and/or in each of the substrate carrier assemblies 108and/or the processing components thereof, as well as correspondingnumber of interrogators 601, including their antennas 610, encirclingeach of the four radials slots 72. In some embodiments, to avoid crosstalk such that the RF energy propagated by an interrogator 601 is onlypicked up by the desired remote communication devices 600 (and not otherremote communication device 600), a specific range of RF energy isutilized for each of the interrogators 601 and the remote communicationdevices 600 in respective communication therewith. In such embodiments,the RF energy has an RSSI value in the range of −30 to −60 dB. Also, insome embodiments, an interrogator 601 may emit ultrahigh frequency (UHF)in the range of 856 to 960 MHz. In some configurations, each remotecommunication devices 600 has a unique identification code that that isstored within the memory thereof. The unique identification code istransmitted to the interrogator 601 and used by the middlewareapplication 651 within the controller 612 to determine which of two ormore remote communication devices data is received from and/or whichremote communication devices 600 information is to be transferred toduring one or more of the processes described herein.

In some embodiments, the reader 608 includes, among other components, anRF modulator and an interrogator controller configured to manage signaltransmission and reception by the reader 608. In one embodiment, the RFmodulator is configured to generate and/or modulate an RF signal havinga wavelength of about 13.56 MHz. In one passive tag embodiment, theinterrogator 601 and the remote communication devices 600 are positionedin a spatial relationship having a distance of less than about twelveinches, such as less than about two inches, or less than about one inch.In an active tag embodiment, the spatial relationship between theinterrogator 601 and the remote communication device 600 may be greaterthan the passive tag embodiments and is dependent upon the poweravailable for signal transmission.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is remote communication device 600, which generallyincludes a tag 602, memory 603 and an antenna 606 that is coupled to orintegrally manufactured in the tag 602. In some embodiments, a sensor604 is communicatively coupled to the tag 602. Herein the tag 602 is anactive tag or a passive tag, depending upon the desired implementation.In an active tag embodiment, a power source, such as a battery, iselectrically coupled to the tag 602 to provide suitable power thereto sothe tag 602 can transmit a signal to an interrogator 601 via thecommunication link (e.g. 607, 655, etc.) formed between the devices. Itis contemplated that an active tag may be implemented in embodimentswhere power is coupled to the tag. Additionally, an active tag may beutilized in configurations where data transmitted by the tag is intendedto be sensed by an interrogator 601 at a distance greater than may beobtained when using a passive tag. However, it is contemplated that anactive tag may be utilized in near field communication embodiments wherea passive tag would find suitable utilization.

In one passive tag embodiment, the tag 602 is configured to receive asignal, such as a radio frequency signal from the interrogator 601, andutilize the electromagnetic energy of the received signal to transmit(or reflect) a signal containing some amount of data unique to the tag602 back to the interrogator 601 via the communication link (e.g. 607,655, etc.). A passive tag may be utilized in embodiments where aninterrogator 601 is positioned less than a critical communicationdistance from the tag 602. The critical communication distance isgenerally defined as the distance beyond which electromagnetic signalsreflected by the passive tag are not reliably received by theinterrogator 601. The critical communication distance may vary accordingto embodiments depending upon the amount of power associated with thesignal generated by the interrogator 601 and the size and power of thetag transmitter.

As described above, a sensor 604 (or multiple sensors) may also becommunicatively coupled to the tag 602. In such embodiments, in additionto utilizing remote communication devices 600 for detection,authentication, and data storage, etc., the remote communication devices600 may also use the sensor 604 to provide a suite of sensing andmetrology data to monitor and/or improve the polishing performance ofthe polishing system.

For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 604 (or multiple sensors incertain embodiments) is configured to detect one or more polishingconditions. In one example, the sensor 604 is a thermal sensor (e.g.,RTD, thermocouple) that includes components configured to detect thetemperature of the polishing pad 32, the polishing fluid 50, thesubstrate 10, or any combinations thereof. In another example, thesensor 604 is an acoustic sensor (not shown) configured to determineacoustic vibrational changes during a polishing process.

A conductivity sensor is another type of sensor 604 that may be utilizedin the remote communication device 600, according to another embodiment.In this embodiment, the conductivity sensor (not shown) is configured todetect conductivity of the polishing fluid 50 (e.g., the increase inmetal concentration (metal loading of the slurry)) or a conductivitychange across the surface of polishing pad 32 as a result of thepolishing fluid 50 clearing from various regions thereof. In someembodiments, the conductivity sensor includes two electrodes (not shown)that are in communication with the tag 602 and remote communicationdevices 600, where each of the electrodes are exposed at the surface ofa polishing pad 32. The exposed electrodes are used to directly measurethe conductivity of the polishing fluid 50, the material surface of thesubstrate 10 and/or a surface of polishing pad 32 by applying a voltageacross the electrodes by use of components found in the tag 602.

Another example of sensor 604 is an accelerometer (e.g., MEMS device)which is configured to sense changes in angular momentum, dynamicforces, vibrational movement out of plane relative to an angulardirection of rotation, and/or torque. An additional example of a sensor604 is a friction sensor, such as a strain gauge, for sensing a sheerstress of the polishing pad 32 against a material surface of a substrate10 during polishing thereof. Yet another embodiment of sensor 604 is apressure sensor, such as a load cell (e.g., MEMS load cell), configuredto measure a force applied to the polishing pad 32 and zonal pressures,such as the pressures applied to regions of the substrate 10 by theflexible diaphragm 108B of the substrate carrier assembly.

The aforementioned sensor embodiments may be utilized alone or incombination with one another to more effectively measure processingconditions during polishing. In some embodiments, as described inactivities 802 and 804 of example operations 800 in FIG. 8, afterreceiving and analyzing sensor information from one or more sensors, thecontroller 612 initiates a change in the polishing process by makingin-situ processing and/or real time adjustments thereto. Suchadjustments may be implemented to improve, for example, polishinguniformity and polishing end point detection. For example, in oneembodiment, polishing performance determined by the remote communicationdevices 600 is performed in-situ (i.e., during polishing) and processvariables are adjusted in-situ to improve substrate polishingperformance. Herein, processing conditions which may be sensed includetemperature data, pressure data, electrical conductivity data, elasticmodulus data, optical data, acoustic data, film thickness data, andother data types configured to measure processing conditions during asubstrate polishing process.

Generally, signals generated by the sensor 604 in response to one ormore detected processing conditions are encoded by the tag 602 andtransmitted by the antenna 606. As described below in relation to FIG.4, after receiving the sensory signals or information (sensed by thevariety of sensors described above) from a remote communication device600, an interrogator 601 sends the sensory data to the controller 612for use by polishing system 20 to adjust one or more polishingparameters, such a process recipe variable, in-situ based on the sensoryinformation.

In addition to the components described above, remote communicationdevices 600 described herein may include memory 603 that is coupled toor integrally manufactured within tag 602. Using the memory 603, in someembodiments, remote communication devices 600 may be used for tracking,detection, and authentication of a processing component as well aschanging or improving the configuration of the polishing system 20. Insome embodiments, the memory 603 comprises a computer-readable storagemedia that includes non-volatile memory. For example, in someembodiments, a remote communication devices 600 coupled to a processingcomponent will have stored in its memory 603 certain identificationinformation specific to the processing component. Typically, theidentification information include processing component identifierinformation, part configuration information, history information,failure information, lifecycle data, customer/fab name, processingsystem information, and any desirable information related thereto. Asfurther described in FIG. 4, transmission of this information to thecontroller 612 enables tracking, detection, and authentication of theprocessing component as well as changing or improving the configurationof the polishing system based on the information contained therein.

Typically, after receiving the sensory and/or identification data fromremote communication device 600, the interrogator 601 relays theinformation to a processor based system controller, such as controller612, through wireless or wired communication therewith. For example, inone embodiment, the controller 612 is configured to cause a generationof a signal by the reader 608. In some embodiments, the controller 612further configured to receive and the analyze data from the remotecommunication device 600 via the interrogator 601. The controller 612herein includes a programmable central processing unit (CPU) 614 that isoperable with a memory 618 (e.g., non-volatile memory) and a massstorage device, an input control unit, and a display unit (not shown),such as power supplies, clocks, cache, input/output (I/O) circuits, andthe like, coupled to the various components of the polishing system 20to facilitate control of the substrate polishing process. In someembodiments, the controller 612 includes hardware for monitoringsubstrate processing through system level sensors in the polishingsystem 20.

To facilitate control of the polishing system 20 as described above, andmore specifically, the remote communication devices 600 andcorresponding interrogators 601, the CPU 614 may be one of any form ofgeneral purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrialsetting, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), for controllingvarious chambers and sub-processors. The memory 618 is coupled to theCPU 614 and the memory 618 is non-transitory and may be one or more ofreadily available memory such as random access memory (RAM), read onlymemory (ROM), floppy disk drive, hard disk, or any other form of digitalstorage, local or remote. Support circuits 616 are coupled to the CPU614 for supporting the processor in a conventional manner. Signalgeneration instructions, data reception, and analysis from the remotecommunication devices 600 via the interrogator 601 may be performed byand stored in the memory 618, typically as a software routine. Thesoftware routine may also be stored and/or executed by a second CPU (notshown) that is remotely located from the hardware being controlled bythe CPU 614.

Herein, the memory 618 is in the form of a computer-readable storagemedia containing instructions (e.g., non-volatile memory), that whenexecuted by the CPU 614, facilitates the operation of the polishingsystem 20, including operation of the remote communication devices 600and the interrogator 601. The instructions in the memory 618 are in theform of a program product such as a program that implements the methodsof the present disclosure (e.g. middleware application, equipmentsoftware application etc.). The program code may conform to any one of anumber of different programming languages. In one example, thedisclosure may be implemented as a program product stored oncomputer-readable storage media for use with a computer system. Theprogram(s) of the program product define functions of the embodiments(including the methods described herein). In some embodiments, theequipment software application 652 and the middleware application 651are executed by use of the CPU 614 and memory 618 found within thecontroller 612.

Illustrative computer-readable storage media include, but are notlimited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memorydevices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROMdrive, flash memory, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatilesemiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and(ii) writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette driveor hard-disk drive or any type of solid-state random-accesssemiconductor memory) on which alterable information is stored. Suchcomputer-readable storage media, when carrying computer-readableinstructions that direct the functions of the methods described herein,are embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic and logical view of a number of programproducts used by controller 612 for interacting with interrogator 601and remote communication device 600. At the bottom, FIG. 4 shows aplurality of RDIF tags (e.g. tag 602 ₁-602 _(N)) in communication with aplurality of RFID readers (e.g. reader 608 ₁-608 _(N)). In the middle,FIG. 4 further shows middleware application 651, which in someembodiments may reside in memory 618 of controller 612. Generally, amiddleware application is a software subsystem capable of providinghigher level software applications with services that are not generallyprovided by regular operating systems. As shown in FIG. 4, themiddleware application 651 isolates the equipment software application652 from the underlying hardware (e.g. RFID readers and tags).

Starting from the bottom layer of middleware application 651, thehardware abstraction layer 411 provides a logical division of code forseparating the hardware layer from the other layers within themiddleware application 651. The hardware abstraction layer 411 providesan RFID reader driver interface allowing the event and data managementlayer to communicate with the RFID readers and tags. In someembodiments, the RFID reader drivers also provide software developmentkits (SDKs), which are a set of software development tools allowing thecreation of applications for the hardware layer. In some embodiments,the hardware abstraction layer 411 further enable the middlewareapplication 651 to interface with hardware, such as RFID readers 608₁-608 _(N) or tags 601 ₁-601 _(N), provided by a variety of vendors.

Moving now to the event and data management layer 412, the event anddata management layer 412 includes software code and instructionsproviding services such as authentication, configuration, cipher (forencryption/decryption), encoding, log viewer, licensing and useradministration. Such services or functionalities are generally notprovided by a regular operating system that the controller 612 may storein the memory 618. In addition to the hardware abstraction layer 411 andthe event and data management layer 412, the middleware application 651may include an application abstraction layer 413 for abstracting theimplementation details of the functionalities described above. In someembodiments, the application abstraction layer 413 includes a set ofapplication programming interfaces (APIs), which provide clearly definedmethods of communication between the middleware application 651 and theequipment software application 652. In addition, in some embodiments,the application abstraction layer includes one or more sockets, utilizedfor communication between the middleware application 651 and theequipment software application 652 through a network.

Sockets allow bidirectional communications such that the equipmentsoftware application 652 and the middleware application 651 may bothsend and receive information therebetween. In some embodiments, thesocket-based software runs on two different computer devices allowingcommunication between the software applications residing on thedifferent computers. In some other embodiments, the sockets are used forlocal communication between the various software applications on asingle computer. Because of the application abstraction layer 413described above, the middleware application 651 may easily integratewith very minimal customization to the equipment software application652.

Moving now to the equipment software application 652. Typically, theequipment software application 652 is provided by a provider of thepolishing system 20 and/or the processing components used therewith,such as the provider of the substrate carrier assembly 108 and/or thepolishing pad 32, etc. In some embodiments, the equipment softwareapplication 652 resides in the memory 618 of the controller 612. In someembodiments, the equipment software resides on another computer device,or memory thereof, and communicates with the middleware application 651through a communication link 657.

In some embodiments, the equipment software application 652 enables RFIDtag read and write requests. For example, in one embodiment, theequipment software application 652 provides a user interface for auser/operator to interact therewith. In one such example, theuser/operator requests data from the remote communication devices 600through a read request and/or sends information to be stored by remotecommunication devices 600 through a write request. As described above,data sent and received between the remote communication devices 600 andthe controller 612 enables detection, authentication, and tracking of aprocessing component as well as changing or improving the configurationof the polishing system.

In one embodiment, the polishing system 20 is configured to engage inoperation only when a polishing pad or substrate carrier assembly havingremote communication device 600 embedded therein, located thereon, orcoupled thereto is installed. In such embodiments, the processingcomponent needs to be detected and authenticated before the polishingsystem starts the polishing process. As an example, a substrate carrierassembly 108, having a remote communication device 600 coupled thereto,may be installed for use by a processing system user/operator. Theremote communication device 600 includes stored information fordetection and authentication of the substrate carrier assembly 108 suchas part identifier information including the Equipment Supplier's Partspart number, part serial number, part configuration type, etc. After thesubstrate carrier assembly 108 is installed by the polishing systemuser/operator, the remote communication devices 600 coupled to thesubstrate carrier assembly 108 sends the part identifier informationstored in its memory to an interrogator 601, positioned around a radialslot 72 of the carousel support plates 66, through one or more wirelesssignals communicated therebetween. As described in activity 622 ofexample operations 620 in FIG. 6, after receiving the one or moresignals from the remote communication device 600, the interrogator 601sends the one or more signals to the middleware application 651 in thecontroller 612. The middleware application 651 processes the signals todetect and/or authenticate the substrate carrier assembly 108, and/orthe processing components thereof, as described in activity 624 ofexample operations 620 in FIG. 6. For example, in one embodiment, theevent and data management layer 412 is configured to compare theprocessing component identifier information, derived from the signals,against a number of processing component (part) identifiers stored in adatabase that is accessible by the middleware application 651. Morespecifically, the middleware application 651 may parse through a storeddatabase containing a number of Equipment Supplier's Parts (EPS) partnumbers as well as all part serial numbers manufactured by a desiredequipment supplier. In some embodiments, the database may reside inmemory 618 of controller 612. In some other embodiments, the databasemay reside on another system and may be accessed by the middlewareapplication 651 through a network that is accessible to one or morecomponents within the controller 612.

Based on finding a match for the EPS part number and/or the part serialnumber, in the example above, the middleware application 651 may detectthat the one or more signals are being transmitted by a substratecarrier assembly, e.g. substrate carrier assembly 108, and alsoauthenticate the substrate carrier assembly 108 as an authorizedprocessing component assembly, such as a substrate carrier assemblymanufactured by a desired equipment supplier. In addition to the partidentifier information, the remote communication devices 600 herein mayalso transmit processing component (part) configuration information,such as substrate carrier assembly size, flexible diaphragm type,substrate retaining ring type, and/or polishing process informationrelated thereto. Based on the part configuration information, the eventand data management layer 412 of the middleware application 651determines the configuration of the substrate carrier assembly 108 andprovides this information to the equipment software application 652 foruse in the control of one or more processes performed by the polishingsystem.

As described in activity 626 of example operations 620 in FIG. 6, usingthe information received from a remote communication device 600, thecontroller 612 performs one or more substrate processing operations. Forinstance, in some embodiments, the controller 612 is configured by themiddleware application 651 to setup or change the configuration of thepolishing system 20 based on the configuration of a substrate carrierassembly 108, determined as described above. For example, the polishingsystem 20 may need to be set to configuration type A if the size ofsubstrate carrier assembly 108 is below a predetermined value while aconfiguration type B may be used if the size of the substrate carrierassembly 108 is above the predetermined value. Accordingly, instead ofmanually setting up and/or adjusting the configuration of the polishingsystem 20 by a user/operator when changing from one size substratecarrier assembly to another, the controller 612 will automaticallyperform such functions. Similar to the substrate carrier assembly 108size example discussed above, the configuration of the polishing system20 can be customized based on the type of flexible diaphragm 108B and/orsubstrate retaining ring 108A comprising the substrate carrier assembly108. In some embodiments, the controller 612 is configures the polishingsystem 20 for a certain type of substrate processing based on thepolishing process information received from a remote communicationdevice 600. In some embodiments, the identification informationtransmitted by a remote communication device 600, as described above, isused by the controller 612 to automatically assign wafer processingand/or handling sequences.

In some embodiments, after authentication of the processing componentusing part identifier and configuration information received by theinterrogator 601, the controller 612 will “unlock” the polishing system20 and engage in full polishing or processing functionality. Also, afterthe authentication phase, in some embodiments, certain locked featuresof the equipment software application 652 and/or the middlewareapplication 651 are unlocked. For example, in some embodiments, thepolishing system 20 is locked to prevent it from performing certaintypes of polishing process and/or operations prior to authenticating arequired processing component. After authentication, the polishingsystem 20 may engage in the previously locked polishing process and/oroperations. This is to ensure safety and reliability as, in somecircumstances, performing certain functions and/or polishing processesusing unauthorized and/or incompatible processing components may resultin unsafe processing conditions and/or unreliable polishing results.

In addition to the part identifier and part configuration information,in some embodiments, remote communication devices 600 further stores andtransmit part history information or assembly history informationassociated with the processing component to the controller 612. Parthistory information herein includes installation date, removal date,number of times the part or its associated assembly has beenrefurbished, current substrate processing count, past failure data,lifetime tracking information, and other information useful to thetracking thereof. In some embodiments, the part history information maybe used by the middleware application 651 or the equipment softwareapplication 652 to determine whether the processing component issuitable for further use. For example, in some embodiments aninstallation date associated with a processing component will indicatehow long the processing component has been in use since it wasinstalled.

In addition, for some processing components, in particular consumablecomponents, information relating to substrate processing such as thenumber of substrates processed and/or the processing conditionsassociated therewith is indicative of the amount of wear and tear theprocessing component has incurred. For example, in one embodiment, thecontroller 612 may identify a processing component or processingcomponent assembly, such as a substrate carrier assembly 108, that hasbeen used for polishing more than a predetermined number of substrates,once the processing component has been identified the controller 612 maydetermine that a consumable component of the substrate carrier assembly,such as the substrate retaining ring and/or the flexible diaphragm needto be replaced. In some embodiments, information relating to usage (e.g.substrate count) is inputted by an operating user/operator using aninterface provided by the equipment software application 652 andsubsequently stored in the remote communication devices 600 throughmiddleware application 651, as described below.

In some embodiments, where the remote communication devices 600 comprisea sensor, tracking information is provided by sensory data. In suchembodiments, the sensor 604 is used to track usage statistics ofconsumable components, such as polishing pads and/or substrate carrierassemblies including the consumable components thereof. For example, inone embodiment, the number of substrates polished using a polishing padand/or a substrate carrier assembly is tracked using remotecommunication devices 600 and the tracking data is concurrently and/orsubsequently communicated to an interrogator 601. The tracking data isthen interpreted by the controller 612 so that the polishing pad and/orsubstrate carrier assembly lifetime is more accurately tracked (whencompared to a polishing system not using the embodiments describedherein) to ensure timely part replacement to provide for improved and/orrepeatable polishing performance across the lifetime of the differenceprocessing components. In some embodiments, the polishing system 20 willadjust one or more polishing parameters, such as process variable, basedon the tracked usage statistics of a consumable component, such as apolishing pad, that was received in the transmitted tag data. In oneexample, the process variables relating to the use of the substratecarrier assembly 108 (e.g., flexible diaphragm pressure/down force) areadjusted to compensate for changes in the polishing performanceexperienced by a polishing pad over the polishing pad's lifetime.

As described above, processing component (part) history also includeslifetime tracking data which, in some embodiments, is used to indicatewhen, where, and/or how the processing component has been used in thepast (e.g. what fabrication facility, what polishing systems, and/orwhich type of polishing processes, etc.). Lifetime tracking data alsoincludes information about how many hours the processing component hasbeen used which provides an indication of how many and/or whichprocessing components and processing component assemblies (e.g. in caseof a substrate carrier assembly the processing components include asubstrate retaining ring, a polishing diaphragm, and/or other consumablecomponents) are nearing the end of their service life, etc. Tracking apart's, or its associated assembly's, part history ensures the safetyand reliability the polishing system and the processes performedthereon.

In addition to part history information, in some embodiments, remotecommunication devices 600 store and transmit lifecycle information tothe controller 612. Refurbishment of some processing components iscommon due to the expense associated with the manufacturing thereof,however, polishing performance requirements and other considerationsoften limit to the number of times a processing component may berefurbished. The lifecycle data of a processing component, determinedusing the embodiments described herein, provides information regardinghow many times the part has been refurbished and if the part has reacheda predetermined limit of the number of times it can be refurbished. Inone such an example, the controller 612 indicates to the operatinguser/operator that, for example, the processing component needs to bediscarded. In some embodiments, the part history information andlifecycle data stored and transmitted by the remote communicationdevices 600 is used to determine and/or develop maintenance schedulesfor the corresponding processing components and/or the polishing systemassociated therewith.

In some embodiments, the remote communication devices 600 are used tostore and transmit processing component and/or processing componentassembly failure information to the controller 612. In some embodiments,the failure information relating to the current part's or assembly'sinability to perform as desired is inputted by a user/operator using aninterface provided by the equipment software application 652. In someembodiments, the failure information is subsequently stored by one ormore remote communication devices 600 through the middleware application651, as further described below. Also, in some embodiments, the failureinformation is sensed by one or more sensors (e.g. sensor 604) disposedin remote communication devices 600 or other areas within polishingsystem 20.

Further, in some embodiments, a customer/fab name and processing systemidentification (ID) information is stored and transmitted by the remotecommunication devices 600 to the controller 612. This informationindicates where and/or to whom the processing component belongs (e.g.what customer and/or fabrication facility, etc.). Further, using theidentification and sensory data transmitted by remote communicationdevices 600 enables performing failure analysis in a more efficientmanner. The results of such failure analysis are typically stored in theremote communication device 600.

In some embodiments, the middleware application 651 provides adiagnostic user interface for tuning an RFID reader's settings. Inaddition, in some embodiments, the middleware application 651 isconfigured to encrypt its communication between the RFID reader and theRFID tag for data security. The middleware application 651 herein isfurther capable of differentiating between multiple RFID tags andengaging in communication with all of them simultaneously. Furthermore,in some embodiments, the middleware application 651 is capable ofmanaging different access privileges of different users.

After the identification and sensory information have been received andprocessed by the middleware application 651, the middleware application651 transmits the information, through one or more APIs, to theequipment software application 652. The equipment software application652 then displays such information in a user interface to the processingsystem user/operator. As described in relation to FIG. 1B, communicationbetween the remote communication devices 600 and the different layers ofthe software hierarchy, shown in FIG. 1B, is a two-way communication.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the equipment software application 652accepts requests for read/write operations to the RFID tag memory. Insome embodiments, for authentication purposes, the equipment softwareapplication 652 is configured to request identification information froma processing component once the remote communication device 600 coupledthereto has been detected. In some embodiments, the equipment softwareapplication 652 is configured to make requests for write operations tothe memory 603 of the remote communication device 600. In suchembodiments, as described in activities 702 and 704 of exampleoperations 700 in FIG. 7, the controller 612 delivers one or moresignals to a remote communication devices 600 to be stored thereinbefore removing the processing component (e.g. substrate carrierassembly 108) from the polishing system 20. For instance, in someembodiments, failure information is inputted by a system user/operatorin a user interface provided by the equipment software application 652.The information is then transmitted to the remote communication devices600 through an interrogator 601 for storage in the memory 603 thereof.In some embodiments, other identification or sensory information,described above, travels downstream from the equipment softwareapplication 652 to be stored by remote communication devices 600 forlater retrieval during subsequent usage.

In some embodiments, the identification and sensory information,collected by the middleware application 651 or the equipment softwareapplication 652 from a remote communication device 600, is used forstatistical process control (SPC) methods, which are statistical methodstypically used for quality control of a semiconductor fabricationprocess. In such embodiments, data including failure information oranalysis (as described above) and processing component and/or processingcomponent assembly configuration information is especially useful withSPC methods, in particular, SPC methods that rely on automated datainput. In some embodiments, the SPC methods are implemented and executedby the middleware application 651 or the equipment software application652. In some other embodiments, the identification and sensoryinformation, collected by the middleware application 651 or theequipment software application 652, is transmitted to the fab-levelsoftware application 653 and the SPC methods are executed thereon.

Typically, the fab-level software application 653 resides on a serverthat is connected to all of the polishing systems and/or the controllersthereof in the fabrication facility. For example, at a typicalfabrication facility, identification and sensor information is collectedfrom a large number of processing components (e.g. substrate carrierassemblies) being used by a number of different polishing systems, suchas the polishing system 20 described herein. In such an example, afterperforming SPC methods, certain trends regarding the specific type ofsubstrate carrier assembly used by these polishing systems is derived bythe fab-level software application 653. As an example, the processedidentification and sensory information may indicate that the certainsubstrate carrier assembly used for polishing substrates having memorydevices formed thereon has a higher failure rate than the same substratecarrier assembly when used to polish substrates having logic devicesformed thereon. This information may then be used by different partiesinvolved (e.g. system users/operators, part manufacturers etc.) to makechanges to the polishing process and/or processing components, etc. Inaddition to the fab-level software application 653, in some embodiments,the identification and sensory data is further transmitted to thepolishing system manufacturer and/or the processing component suppliervia an external communication link formed with the controller 612 or afab-level controller (not shown) to provide an update about the statusof the processing component. This information provides extra visibilityinto the status of the processing component after it is installed anddetected by the polishing system, during the polishing process, andafter the process has ended.

As described above, the methods and apparatus described herein may beutilized by tools or devices other than a polishing system 20. Thedescription relating to one or more polishing components, processingcomponent assemblies, and polishing processes provided herein is notintended to be limiting as to the scope of the disclosure providedherein and one or more of the embodiments disclosed provided herein canthus be used with any type of tool or device that contains processingcomponents and/or processing component assemblies that are replaceable,consumable, and/or have a limited useful lifetime, such as the physicalvapor deposition (PVD) chamber described in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another example substrateprocessing system, herein a physical vapor deposition (PVD) processingchamber, that may be adapted to benefit from the embodiments describedherein. Other examples of processing chamber that may be adapted tobenefit from the embodiments provided herein is the ALPS® Plus and SIPENCORE® PVD processing chamber, available from Applied Materials, Inc.of Santa Clara, Calif. However, it is contemplated that other processingchambers, including those from other manufacturers, may be adapted tobenefit from the embodiments described herein. The processing chamber100 described herein is configured to deposition titanium or aluminumoxides or nitrides on a substrate 105. In other In other embodiments,the processing chamber 100 is used for other purposes, such as forexample, to deposit aluminum, copper, tantalum, tantalum nitride,tantalum carbide, tungsten, tungsten nitride, lanthanum, lanthanumoxides, titanium, or combinations thereof.

The processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 101 having one ormore upper adapters 102 and one or more sidewall adapters 104, a chamberbottom 106, and a lid assembly 808 that define an interior volume 110.The chamber body 101 is typically fabricated by machining and weldingplates of stainless steel or by machining a single mass of aluminum. Inone embodiment, the sidewall adapters 104 comprise aluminum and thechamber bottom 106 comprises stainless steel. The lid assembly 808 ofthe processing chamber 100, in cooperation with a ground shield 160 thatinterleaves with a cover ring 170, substantially confines a plasmaformed in the interior volume 110 to a region above the substrate 105.

The processing chamber 100 further includes a substrate support assembly120 disposed in the interior volume 110 which includes a substratesupport 126 sealingly coupled to a base plate 128 which is coupled to aground plate 125. The substrate support assembly 120 is disposed on asupport shaft 122 movably disposed and sealingly extending through thechamber bottom 106. The support shaft 122 is coupled to an actuator (notshown) that is configured to raise and lower the support shaft 122, andthus the substrate support assembly 120 disposed thereon, to facilitateprocessing of a substrate 105 and transfer thereof to and from theprocessing chamber 100. A bellows 124 circumscribes the support shaft122 and is coupled to the substrate support assembly 120 and the chamberbottom 106 to provide a flexible seal therebetween and to maintain thevacuum integrity of the interior volume 110.

The substrate 105 is transferred into and out of the processing chamber100 through an opening (not shown) formed through the chamber body 101which is conventionally sealed with a door or a valve (not shown). Insome embodiments, the processing chamber 100 is coupled to a transferchamber and/or other chambers of a substrate processing system.Typically, a plurality of lift pins (not shown) are movably disposedthrough the substrate support assembly 120 to facilitate transferring ofthe substrate 105 to and from a substrate receiving surface 127 of thesubstrate support 126. When the substrate support assembly 120 is in alowered position the plurality of lift pins extend above the substratereceiving surface 127 thereby spacing the substrate 105 from thesubstrate support 126 for access by a robot handler. When the substratesupport assembly 120 is in a raised processing position the tops of theplurality of lift pins are located flush with, or below, the substratereceiving surface 127 and the substrate 105 rests directly on substratereceiving surface 127 for processing. The relative position of the topsof the lift pins and the substrate receiving surface 127 of thesubstrate support 126 can be changed by contact of their lower ends witha stationary or movable pin plate (not shown), or with the chamberbottom 106 of the processing chamber 100 as the substrate support 126 islowering in the interior volume 110 of the processing chamber 100.

Typically, the substrate support 126 is comprised of aluminum, ceramic,or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the substrate support 126comprises an electrostatic chuck and is formed of a dielectric materialhaving a chucking electrode 138 embedded therein. In some embodiments,the substrate support 126 and/or the base plate 128 coupled thereto areconfigured to heat and/or cool the substrate using a resistive heatingelement (not shown) and/or cooling channels (not shown) disposedtherein. Typically, the cooling channels are in fluid communication witha coolant source (not shown) such as a refrigerant source or atemperature controlled fluid source. Herein, the substrate supportassembly 120 supports the deposition ring 302 along with the substrate105 during the deposition process.

The lid assembly 808 generally includes a target backing plate 130, atarget 132, and a magnetron 134. The target backing plate 130 issupported by the upper adapters 102 when in the lid assembly 808 is in aclosed position, as shown in FIG. 5. A ceramic ring seal 136 is disposedbetween the target backing plate 130 and upper adapters 102 to preventvacuum leakage therebetween.

The target 132 is coupled to the target backing plate 130 and exposed tothe interior volume 110 of the processing chamber 100. The target 132provides the material which is to be deposited on the substrate 105during a PVD process. An isolator ring 180 is disposed between thetarget 132, target backing plate 130, and chamber body 101 toelectrically isolate the target 132 from the target backing plate 130and the upper adapter 102 of the chamber body 101.

The target 132 is biased with RF and/or DC power relative to ground,e.g. the chamber body 101, by a power source 140. A gas, such as argon,is supplied to the interior volume 110 from a gas source 142 viaconduits 144. The gas source 142 may comprise a non-reactive gas such asargon or xenon, which is capable of energetically impinging upon andsputtering material from the target 132. Spent process gas andbyproducts are exhausted from the interior volume 110 of the processingchamber 100 through exhaust ports 146 that receive spent process gas anddirect the spent process gas to an exhaust conduit 148 having a throttlevalve to control the pressure of the gas in the interior volume 110 ofthe processing chamber 100. The exhaust conduit 148 is fluidly coupledto one or more exhaust pumps 149. Typically, the pressure of thesputtering gas in the interior volume 110 of the processing chamber 100is set to sub-atmospheric levels, such as a vacuum environment, forexample, gas pressures of about 0.6 mTorr to about 400 mTorr. A plasmais formed from the gas between the substrate 105 and the target 132.Ions within the plasma are accelerated toward the target 132 and causematerial to become dislodged from the surface thereof. The dislodgedtarget material is deposited on the substrate. The magnetron 134 isdisposed over the target backing plate 130 and within a target region815 that is enclosed by a dielectric support 811 and a dielectric targetlid 812 that are positioned on the processing chamber 100. In someembodiments, the dielectric target lid 812 includes a motor (not shown)that is coupled to the magnetron 134 so that it can be moved about anaxis 803 within the target region 815 during processing.

Processes performed in the processing chamber 100 are controlled by acontroller 190 that comprises a program code having instruction sets tooperate components of the processing chamber 100 to facilitateprocessing of substrates therein. For example, in one embodiment, thecontroller 190 comprises a program code that includes a substratepositioning instruction set to position the substrate support assembly120; a gas flow control instruction set to operate gas flow controlvalves to set a flow of sputtering gas to the interior volume 110 of theprocessing chamber 100; a gas pressure control instruction set tooperate a throttle valve to maintain a pressure in the interior volume110; a process sputtering power control instruction set to power thetarget 132; a temperature control instruction set to control atemperature control system (not shown) in the substrate support assembly120 or sidewall adapter 104 to set temperatures of the substrate orsidewall adapters 104, respectively; and a process monitoringinstruction set to monitor the process in the processing chamber 100.The instruction sets provided by the controller 190 to the processingchamber 100 comprise a set of deposition process parameters, hereindeposition process variables, which together comprise a depositionprocess recipe. Examples of deposition process variables herein include,but are not limited to, the distance between a surface of the substrate105 and the surface of the target 132, the bias power provided to thetarget 132, temperature of the substrate support 126 and/or thesubstrate 105 disposed thereon, flowrate(s) of the sputtering gas(es)and/or reactive gases into the processing chamber 100, pressure in theinterior volume 110, deposition duration (time), speed of the magnetron134 about the axis 803, and in some embodiments a substrate bias powerprovided to a bias electrode (not shown) disposed in the substratesupport 126. Often, specific types of processing components are requiredfor use with some deposition process recipes and are prohibited for usewith other deposition process recipes as some types or processingcomponents are incompatible with some substrate deposition processes andare therefore unauthorized for use therewith.

Typically, the processing chamber 100 includes a process kit 150 thatcomprises various processing components that can be easily removed fromthe processing chamber 100, for example, to clean sputtering depositsoff the component surfaces, replace or repair eroded components, or toadapt the processing chamber 100 for other processes and/orapplications. In one embodiment, the process kit 150 comprises a groundshield 160, an interleaving cover ring 170, and a centering mechanism175 for providing a controlled gap between the one-piece ground shield160 and the interleaving cover ring 170. In some embodiments, theprocess kit 150 further comprises the deposition ring 302.

Herein, one or more remote communication devices 600 are located on,embedded in, disposed within, or otherwise coupled to various areas ofprocessing chamber 100 and/or the processing components disposedtherein. In one embodiment, a first remote communication device 600A islocated on, embedded in, disposed within, or otherwise coupled to thetarget 132 and is in communication with a first interrogator 601Alocated on, embedded in, disposed within, or otherwise coupled to thedielectric support 811 of the chamber body 101 and adjacent to themagnetron 134. In another embodiment, a second remote communicationdevice 600B located on, embedded in, disposed within, or otherwisecoupled to a magnet 801 of the magnetron 134 is in communication with asecond interrogator 601B located on, embedded in, disposed within, orotherwise coupled to a yoke or a process piece, as shown in FIG. 5. Asfurther shown in FIG. 5 interrogators 601A and 601B use communicationlinks 655A and 655B, respectively, to communicate with the middlewareapplication 651, which in some embodiments, resides on the controller190. In some embodiments, the communication links 655A and 655B arewired connections and, in other embodiments, are wireless communicationprotocols.

Herein the remote communication devices 600A and 600B operate to enablethe same functionalities as described above in relation to the polishingsystem 20 described in FIGS. 1-4, including detection, authentication,and tracking of processing components (e.g. target 132) as well assetting up, reconfiguration, or unlocking of certain differentiatedfeatures within the processing chamber 100. Accordingly, onceidentification information stored in the remote communication devices600A and 600B is received through signals by the interrogators 601A and601B, respectively, the information may travels through the samesoftware application hierarchy described in relation to FIG. 4. The twoway communication between the remote communication device 600A-B and thedifferent levels of software applications (e.g. 651, 652, and 653)therefore enable the functionalities described above and also allow forstoring information in the remote communication device 600A and 600B.

For example, certain information specific to processing components suchas the target 132 and/or the magnet 801 are stored in remotecommunication device 600A and/or 600B, respectively. Similar to thesubstrate carrier assembly 108 of polishing system 20, the target 132and/or the magnet 801 are also detected and authenticated using theinformation stored in their respective remote communication devices600A-B, which in some embodiments are RFID tags. In one example, afterthe authentication as described in relation to FIG. 4, certain processesor operations may be unlocked based on the type of magnet and/or type oftarget identified through the identification information. For example,in one embodiment, the processing chamber 100 is locked from performingcertain types of PVD deposition operations until authentication of theremote communication device containing part(s). After authentication,for example, processing chamber 100 is unlocked and may engage in thepreviously locked deposition process variable regimes. In one example,based on information received from the remote communication device 600Aand/or 600B, the equipment software application 652 will allow the DC orRF power levels applied to the target 132 or temperature set pointsapplied to the substrate support assembly 120 to be increased ordecreased based on the received information by the middlewareapplication 651. In one case, if one of the remote communication devices600A and/or 600B is not present within the system then the capability ofchanging one or more process variables within the equipment softwareapplication 652 may not be allowed. The ability to interlock set pointsof various process variables due to the presence or status of a remotecommunication device 600A and/or 600B containing part can be used toensure the safety and reliability of the deposition processes in aprocessing chamber or processing system, where in some cases the use ofunauthorized and/or incompatible processing components may result inunsafe operating conditions and/or unreliable processing results.

In some embodiments, the remote communication device 600A-B,interrogators 601A-B, and the controller 190 of the processing chamber100 include the same components and operate in a similar manner to theremote communication device 600, interrogator 601, and the controller612 of the polishing system 20, respectively, as described in FIGS. 1-4.

It is also important to note that the embodiments described above, maynot be limited to CMP devices and PVD processing chambers as other typesof devices may also utilize wireless communication devices to enabledetection, authentication, and tracking of processing componentsincluding the consumable components and non-consumable componentsdisposed therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing a substrate using aprocessing component disposed within a substrate processing system,comprising: receiving, using an interrogator, one or more signals from aremote communication device coupled to a processing component disposedin the substrate processing system, wherein the one or more signalscomprises identifier information relating to the processing component;comparing, using a controller, the identifier information to processingcomponent identifiers stored in a database to authenticate theprocessing component to determine that the processing component isauthorized or compatible for use with the substrate processing system;changing one or more process variables based on the received signals;and performing, using the controller, one or more substrate processingoperations using the one or more process variables changed based on theauthentication of the processing component.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: detecting, using the controller, the presence of theprocessing component within the substrate processing system based on theone or more signals prior to the authenticating the processingcomponent.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: processing,using a middleware application residing on the controller, the one ormore signals to generate one or more data parameters; and sending, usingthe middleware application, the one or more data parameters to a userapplication through one or more application programming interfaces(APIs).
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving userinput from a user interface application through one or more applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs); and sending, using the interrogator, theuser input to the remote communication device for storage in a memorythereof.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user input includesfailure information corresponding to the processing component.
 6. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the user input includes usage informationcorresponding to the processing component.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining that the processing component isauthorized for use with a process recipe; unlocking the process recipebased on the determination that the processing component is authorizedfor use with the process recipe; and processing the substrate using theunlocked process recipe.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the substrateprocessing system is one of a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)system, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, a physical vapordeposition (PVD) chamber, an ion implantation chamber, in etchprocessing chamber or system, a photolithography processing system, or asubstrate thinning system.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein performingthe one or more substrate processing operations include changing aconfiguration of the processing system based on the one or more signals.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signals includeinformation selected from a group consisting of processing componentidentifiers, processing component configuration, processing componenthistory, failure information, lifecycle data, customer name, andprocessing system identification information.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein the processing component is one of a polishing pad, a padconditioner, or a substrate carrier assembly component including, acarrier housing, a substrate retaining ring, or a flexible diaphragm.12. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote communication devicecomprises an RFID tag.
 13. A method of processing a substrate,comprising: receiving, using an interrogator, one or more signals from aremote communication device coupled to a processing component disposedin a first substrate processing system, wherein the one or more signalscomprises identifier information relating to the processing component;comparing, using a controller, the identifier information to processingcomponent identifiers stored in a database to authenticate theprocessing component to determine that the processing component isauthorized or compatible for use with the first substrate processingsystem; performing, using the controller, one or more substrateprocessing operations, based on the authentication of the processingcomponent; delivering one or more signals to the remote communicationdevice; storing information received in the one or more signals within amemory of the remote communication device before removing the processingcomponent from the first substrate processing system; removing theprocessing component from the first substrate processing system; andreceiving at least a portion of the stored information from the remotecommunication device after the processing component has been reinstalledwithin the first substrate processing system or installed within asecond substrate processing system.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: performing one or more substrate processing operations onthe first or second substrate processing system based on the receipt ofthe portion of the stored information.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the substrate processing system is one of a chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP) system, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, aphysical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber, an ion implantation chamber, anetch processing chamber or system, a photolithography processing system,or a substrate thinning system.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein thestored information comprises information selected from a groupconsisting of processing component identifiers, processing componentconfiguration, processing component history, failure information,lifecycle data, customer name, and processing system identificationinformation.
 17. A method of processing a substrate using a processingcomponent disposed within a substrate processing system, comprising:receiving, using an interrogator, one or more signals from a remotecommunication device coupled to a processing component disposed in thesubstrate processing system, wherein the one or more signals comprisesidentifier information relating to the processing component; comparing,using a controller, the identifier information to processing componentidentifiers stored in a database to authenticate the processingcomponent to determine that the processing component is authorized orcompatible for use with the substrate processing system; performing,using the controller, one or more substrate processing operations, basedon the authentication of the processing component; receiving, using theinterrogator, one or more signals from the remote communication devicewhich include information relating to one or more processing conditionsdetected by a sensor coupled to the processing component; and initiatinga change in the processing of the substrate in response to the receivedsensor information.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or moreprocessing conditions comprise at least one of temperature data,pressure data, electrical conductivity data, elastic modulus data,optical data, acoustic data, and film thickness data.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the sensor is one of a thermal sensor, an acousticsensor, a conductivity sensor, and an accelerometer.
 20. A method ofprocessing a substrate using a processing component disposed within asubstrate processing system, comprising: receiving, using aninterrogator, one or more signals from a remote communication devicecoupled to a processing component disposed in the substrate processingsystem, wherein the one or more signals comprises identifier informationrelating to the processing component; comparing, using a controller, theidentifier information to processing component identifiers stored in adatabase to authenticate the processing component to determine that theprocessing component is authorized or compatible for use with asubstrate processing recipe; unlocking the substrate processing recipebased on the authentication of the processing component; and processingthe substrate using the unlocked substrate processing recipe.